Improvement in guides for stage-scenery



' under side of which is UNITED STATES PATENT OEEIo CHARLES EIGBEE, oE PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN GUIDES FOR STAGE-SCENERV.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. l 58.91.10, dated January 19, 1875; application tiled November 11, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that -I, CHARLES HIGBEE, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Guides for Scenery, of which the following is a specification:

The object ofl my invention is to so hang the grooved bars for guiding and steadying the scenes in theaters that they can be readily elevated out of the way when increased width of stage has to be displayed for large meetings, spectacular plays, 8vo.; and this object I attain in the manner which I will now proceed to describe, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in wliich Figure 1 is a Vertical section of part of a stage illustrating my invention, with the grooved bar lowered, Fig. 2, the same as Fig. 1, with 4the grooved bar elevated; and Fig. 3, a perspective view of part of the device.

represents the iioor of the stage; B, the side wall; D, the carpenters gallery, to the secured the perinanent frame E, and from the latter the grooved bar G, for guiding and steadying the scenes, is so suspended that it can be lowered to the position shown in Fig. l when but a portion of the width of the stage is required for the display of ordinary scenery, or elevated, as shown in Fig. 2, when the whole, or nearly the whole, width ofthe stage has to be exhibited.

The manner of suspending the grooved bar Gr is as follows: To the frame E are hinged the two frames l and J, the former at the pointa: and the latter at the point y, and these two frames are hinged to the grooved bar G. The suspended lframe thus formed is, when depressed, steadied by two diagonal bracingframes, crossing each other, one ofthe braces consisting of the two arms a a', the former of which is hinged, at m, to the frame I, near the lower end of the same, the arm a being hinged to the' permanent frame E near the upper end of the frame J, the two arms overlapping each other when the grooved bar is depressed, as shown in Fig. 1, and the overlapping ends fltting between the bars of the bracing-frame b, as shown in Fig. 3,'each arm having a shoulder bearing against the said frames. The upper end of the said bracingframe b is hinged to the iixed frame E, and the lower end is at liberty to adjust itself to the corner presented at the junction of the lower end of the frame J with the grooved bar G. A rope, p, is attached to the two hinged arms a c', which form the above-mentioned brace, and this rope passes over a suitable system of pulleys and down the side ofthe wall B; then round a pulley attached to the wall, and upward and over other pulleys to the same arms a and a. Another rope, w, is attached to the grooved bar G, passes over pulleys, as shown, and down the side of the wall, so as tobe accessible to the operator.

As long as the several parts remain in the position shown in Fig. ,l the grooved bar, owing to the presence of the above-described braces, will be as steady as though secured to a permanent frame.

When it is desirable to elevate this grooved bar out of the way the first thing to be done is to pull at the rope p, so as to move the two arms a a upward in the direction of the arrow, when the grooved bar G is at liberty to be elevated by the rope w until the several parts assume the position shown in Fig. 2, from which position they can be readily lowered when the ordinary scenes have to be used, the arms a and a being caused to assume their duty as braces by pulling the rope p, so as to move them in a direction contrary to that pointed out by the arrow.

I claim as my inventionl. The combination of the fixed frame E, the grooved bar G, the frames l and J, hinged to the said bar and to the fixed frame, and the rope w, arranged substantially as described, so that the bar is caused to assume either of the positions shown, all as set forth.

2. The combination of the fixed frame E, frames I and J, grooved bar G, brace b, arms a and a', and the operating rope p, attached to the said arms, all as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of 'two subscribing witnesses.

CHAS. HIGBEE. 

